‘Climate Capital of Australia’

One of the oldest established towns in Queensland on one of the finest harbours in Australia, Bowen was first discovered in 1859 by Captain Henry Daniel Sinclair, he named it Port Denison, two years later Mr Sinclair and George Elphinstone Dalrymple founded the town of Bowen on April 12 1861.

Bowen has a rich maritime history with several shipwrecks taking place nearby including the "Gothenburg" which sank off Bowen in 1875 with a loss of more than 100 lives. The town is rich in history and thankfully a lot of it has been preserved in the local museum.
 

Bowen today is the undiscovered jewel of north Queensland with many beaches within a short distance of the centre of town. Reef snorkelling is a popular past time for visitors and can be done directly from the mainland no travelling for kilometres out to sea. Secluded bays such as Rose Bay, Greys Bay, Murray Bay and Horseshoe Bay are fine snorkelling locations.

Other events of note include the Bowen Family Fishing Classic, held each September with a sizeable amount of prize money up for grabs and the Bowen Multicultural Festival.

Bowen is known as the climate capital of Australia because of its relatively constant temperatures allowing year round swimming. Note the stinger season is from November to March. Stinger free enclosures are available at Queens beach.

Check out our listing of Bowen accommodation and Whitsunday accommodation. In addition to our listed online travel guide information, contact the local tourism visitor centre for your destination for more attractions, tours, local maps and other information.